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EU 'Lupo' Knightmare (Sum of Our Choices
The Lupo is a Knightmare Frame used by the European Ultra-Union in Juubi-K's fanfiction 'The Sum of Our Choices.' Development The Lupo is considered to be the EU's first full home-grown knightmare frame, using relatively little directly reverse-engineered technology. The design was born from a long debate within the EUROFORCE RDA (Research, Development, and Acquisitions) Department over the most effective role for knightmare frames. In particular, it was found that at 4-5 metres, conventional knightmares were the tallest machines on the battlefield (by comparison to Main Battle Tanks, averaging just over 2 metres). Combined with their comparatively light armour, this made for a serious disadvantage against ranged firepower. Another particular issue was that of automatic coordination, to wit the need for the knightmare's systems to translate the movements of joysticks and pedals into the movements of a bipedal robot. This required enormous processing power, serving to complicate development. Though there had been success in replicating Britannian-style knightmares (namely the Panzer-Hummel), ''the Britannian approach represented a developmental cul-de-sac, with little hope of parity, let alone an advantage. It was decided that a new approach was needed, with a different method of control allowing for development in new directions. When combined with the need for a shorter unit, RDA focussed on a powered armour approach, based on data from previous projects, by which the knightmare would be controlled by movements of the pilot's body, elimintating the need for a central Auto-Coordinator. The ''Lupo itself gained its appearance and name as a result of two particular developments. One was the design of the head, which would need to perform the usual functions of a knightmare's head while also containing the head of the pilot. The solution was to concentrate the EF-9 Multispectral Combat Sensor in an elongated snout, the appearance of which led the designers to add a stylized lupine appearance, apparently for their own amusement. The other factor was the decision to use digitigrade legs, which the development of the Panzer-Hummel had shown to provide superior weight distribution. Control ﻿ To control the Lupo, the pilot effectively 'wears' an internal pressure-sensitive frame, the knightmare responding to movements of the limbs. The control gauntlets for the hands represent by far the most complex portions of this system, allowing the pilot precise control over the fingers. The Landspinners and Flight Unit are controlled by the foot pedals. Other functions are handled by the 'Angel's Halo' MMI system. Armament The Lupo ''carries no fixed armament, a necessity in simplifying the design. Its standard loadout is two 'Paladin's Gauntlet' units, worn on the forearms. These provide additional armour for the forearm, wrist, and hand, allowing the ''Lupo ''a basic hand-to-hand combat option (i.e., punching). In addition, the gauntlet contains either a scaled-down 30mm autocannon or an NPB unit. Deployment History ﻿ The ''Lupo's ''production and training cycle began in the spring of 2017 ATB, with the first units ready for combat by the summer of 2018. The low production rate meant that the first batch was limited to EUROFORCE and selected State army units. ''Lupo's combat debut was in the counterattack of July 3rd, most notably in the hands of the JL Brigade at the Battle of Brussels. The new knightmares proved superior to the Britannian Gloucester''s ''and a match for the ''Vincent Ward''s, to a considerable extent thanks to the NPB, though the MMI allowed for far faster reaction and more efficient manoeuvre than the Britannians could manage.